Ski lift maker to issue warning following tower collapse

Ski-hill operators were checking their towers Thursday after the manufacturer of the ski lift tower that collapsed on Blackcomb Mountain said a North America-wide warning about the potential problem will be issued to other lift operators.

Warren Sparks, Doppelmayr Canada's executive vice-president and general manager, said its customers will be informed about the chance of ice seeping into lift towers and rupturing them, similar to what happens when a water-filled bottle is left in the freezer.

He said Doppelmayr will issue a formal warning next week, after the company completes its investigation, but in the meantime companies have the information they need to prevent a similar accident.

"Our customers already know to check for this water and if they detect it, they're supposed to drill a hole to drain it out," he said.

Sparks said it's easy enough to check for water by just tapping on the towers to hear if they're full.

Checks made at Quebec resorts

That advice was being heeded by resorts across Canada, such as Mont-Ste-Anne in Quebec, which has lifts and towers made by Doppelmayr.

The resort started checking for water a year and a half ago, after receiving a safety bulletin from the manufacturer, according to Samantha McKinley, public relations officer for Mont-Ste-Anne resort.

After the accident in Whistler on Tuesday, there was another full check of all the towers, she said.

"Immediately we sent out on the lift line a team of mechanics that morning to see if there was any problem with the drainage system, but there was not," she said.

McKinley said neither staff at the hill nor skiers are worried and the resort will comply with the safety warning as soon as it's issued.

No tourism backlash from gondola collapse

Meanwhile, the president of Tourism Whistler doubts there will be a lasting backlash from the latest problem linked to the B.C. ski resort.

Barrett Fisher said the partial collapse of a gondola support tower on Blackcomb Mountain is the kind of thing that gets an immediate reaction, but is not something that leaves a long-term impact.

Reservations and bookings have not suffered so far, Fisher said, although she acknowledged resort operators will have to work to regain public trust.

Twelve people were injured and a rescuer was also slightly hurt when the fourth tower of Blackcomb's Excalibur Gondola collapsed on Tuesday afternoon, stranding dozens of passengers and bouncing two gondola cabins off the ground as the steel cable sagged.

The gondola collapse follows a rockslide on the Sea to Sky Highway that cut off Whistler from Vancouver for several days earlier this year, raising concerns about access to the mountain town, which is slated to host the nordic and alpine events for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

But currently Whistler Blackcomb's biggest problem might not be the lifts, but the lack of snow. Despite the cold snap gripping B.C., the resort has less than a metre of snow heading into the Christmas holidays.

The resort hopes to have up to 17 of 38 lifts on both mountains operating on Thursday, although the Excalibur Gondola will remain closed until further notice, according to the resort's website.